Washing machine having combination shelf and access arrangement



May 1, 1962 D. G. BAILEY 3,031,871 WASHING MACHINE HAVING COMBINATION SHELF AND ACCESS ARRANGEMENT Filed June 26, 1961 F'IG.I

SB S7 4o INVENTOR.

DOUGLA S 6. BAILEY BSBYQJ) H IS ATTORNEY United States Patent Oiiiice 3,031,871 Patented May 1, 1962.

3,031,871 WASHING MACHINE HAVING CGMBINATEON SHELF AND ACCESS ARRANGEMENT Douglas G. Bailey, Louisville, Ky., assigner to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed .lune 26, 1961, Ser. No. 119,632 4 Claims. (Cl. 68-13) This invention relates to automatic washing machines, and more particularly to a combination shelf and valve access arrangement for such Washing machines.

The use of built-in appliances, that is, appliances which are virtually a part of the dwelling rather than being separate therefrom is becoming more and more widespread and is, in fact, starting to nd application in connection with washing machines. Making a washing machine built-in provides several advantages; it does, though, have the result that, because the plumbing connections including the water supply control valves, and the electrical connections, are normally behind the machine, that is, concealed between the machine and the wall, there is the problem that a ready access to these valves and electrical connections must be provided.

It is an object of my invention to provide, particularly for use where a built-in washing machine is concerned, a water valve access arrangement wherein the access member may serve as a closure for the control cabinet of the machine while at the same time providing a top shelf surface thereon, the valves being readily accessible by virtue of their adjacency thereto when the shelf-like top surface is removed.

It is a further object of my invention to provide, in the same manner, ready access to the connections of the machine electrical system to the wiring system of the buildmg.

In one aspect of my invention I provide, in a washing machine intended to be built-in ilush against a wall, the usual washing means and liquid supply means for the washing means. These items are enclosed by a rst cabinet assembly, and directly above the rst cabinet assembly there is positioned a second cabinet assembly intended to cover various control components normally associated with the washing means and liquid supply means. These include at least one water valve which is connected to the liquid supply means upstream thereof and which has a handle extending therefrom so that it can readily be manually shut oft when so desired. This valve is so positioned that its handle extends up adjacent the underside of a substantially flat shelf-like cover memher which forms the top surface of the second cabinet assembly, being readily removable from the remainder of the assembly. Thus, the top surface of the second cabinet assembly may perform the function of a shelf, and, in addition, may also be the means for providing quick access to the manual control member for the valve.

The features of my invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of this specification. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of a built-in automatic washing machine incorporating my invention;

FiGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View showing the portion of FIGURE 1 most pertinent to my invention; and

FIGURE 3 is a view in perspective of part of the cabinet structure of FIGURES l and 2.

Referring to FIGURE 1 initially, there is shown therein a washing machine having a cabinet, generally indicated by the numeral 1, which encloses the various different components conventionally included and assembled together to provide a domestic automatic washing machine. These may include, as shown, an imperforate outer tub 2 rigidly secured to the cabinet 1, a perforated clothes basket 3 rotatably mounted within tub 2, and an agitator mechanism 4 extending up within basket 3. It will be understood that a suitable mechanism (not shown) is provided in the usual manner for causing oscillation of agitator 4 about a vertical axis in order to effect washing of clothes within basket 3 when tub 2 contains liquid, and that the transmission will also normally provide for rapid rotation of basket 3 within tub 2 at an appropriate time in order to centrifuge liquid out of the clothes so that it may be taken out by a drain pump (not shown) and passed through a suitable conduit, partly shown at 5, to a drain assembly 6. The drain assembly 6 may be of any suitable construction; the particular assembly shown does not constitute my invention but is, rather, the invention of Winston L. Shelton and is fully described and claimed in application Serial No. 119,451 led concurrently herewith and assigned to General Electric Company, assignee of the present invention.

In the usual manner, suitable means are provided for supplying liquid into tub 2 at selected times. This normally includes a suitable mixing valve, such as that shown by the numeral 7, mounted within the cabinet 1 and having a pair of flexible conduits 8 and 9 connected to its inlet ports, with conduit 1t) being connected to its outlet port. Conduit 1i) terminates in an outlet 11 positioned over tub 2 so that when, as will be explained below, liquid is supplied through conduits 8 and 9, the valve 7 controls the supply of hot, cold or warm liquid to the outlet 11. The control of the water temperature may be effected in the usual manner by providing a pair of solenoids 12 and 13 which control the flow of liquid from, respectively, inlet conduits 8 and 9 to the outlet conduit 10. With solenoid 12 alone energized, hot water only will pass from inlet 8 into the tub 2; with solenoid 13 alone energized, cold Water will pass from inlet 9 to the tub; and with both solenoids 12 and 13 energized, hot and cold water will be mixed'in valve 7 and warm water will pass into the tub 2.

The top of the Washing machine cabinet 1 is formed as a lid 14 in which a sink 15 is formed with a drain opening 16. Lid 14 may be pivoted about hinges 17 to an open position. When the lid 14 is opened, it affords ready access, through an opening 18 formed in a shroud member 18a, to the interior of basket 3 so that clothes may be inserted into the basket for a Washing operation to be provided and may be removed from the basket when a washing operation is terminated. When the lid is closed, as shown, the drain opening 16 communicates with the upper end 19 of a drain conduit 20 which permits vitiated liquid to drain out of sink 15 by gravity. From drain conduit Ztl the liquid passes, as shown, into the drain system 6 previously mentioned in connection with the operation of the washing machine.

It will be understood that the machine 1 is provided with conventional controls so that a complete typical cycle of operations may be provided. For instance, in one such cycle water is introduced into the tub 2, and the basket 3, and the agitator 4 is then oscillated back and forth on its axis to wash the clothes in the basket. Then, after a predetermined period of this washing action, basket 3 is rotated at high speed to extract centrifugally the washing liquid from the clothes and the previously mentioned pump discharges the liquid so extracted to drain. Following this extraction operation, a supply of clean liquid is introduced into the basket for rinsing the clothes and the agitator is again oscillated. Finally, thebasket 3 is once more rotated at high speed to extract the rinse Water.

It Will be noted from FIGURE 1 that the main part of the washing machine within cabinet 1 is substantially separate from an upper or control cabinet assembly 21 which, in modern washing machines, is conventionally provided for the Various control components of the machine. In the present case, where the sink is formed in the lid of the washing machine, it is proposed to provide suitable liquid supply means for the sink such as the faucet 22. In the usual manner, faucet 22 may be controlled by manually operable valve members such as that shown at 23.

Whereas, in free-standing machines, assembly 21 is rigidly secured to cabinet 1 so that they form a unit as they come from the factory, a more appropriate approach in the case of built-in washing machines is to provide the units 1 and 21 to be entirely independent of each other until they are eventually assembled together in a dwelling in the iinal position in which they are to be used. In this connection, both the main lower part of the washer and the control assembly 21 are secured to a template assembly 24 formed of a suitable sheet material such as steel. It is contemplated that, generally, the template assembly Z4 will be formed so as to extend back within a wall 25 against which the built-in washing machine is positioned, being fastened to the wall in a suitable manner (not shown). The structure of the assembly 24, and the manner in which it is secured to the Wall and the assemblies 1 and 21 are in turn secured to it, are fully described and claimed in application Serial No. 119,708, filed concurrently herewith by Winston L. Shelton, Donald E. Wilson, and John M. Evjen jointly, also assigned to the General Electric Company.

The assembly 24 includes a bracket 25 which forms the support both for hydraulic control apparatus, generally indicated by the numeral 26, and for electrical control apparatus, generally provided as a completely enclosed unit indicated at 27 and which is connected to the washing machine in the conventional way so as to effect control of the various electrical components of the machine. Unit 27 may be connected, by a conventional plug 27a, to the outlet 27h of the Wiring system of the building. The hydraulic assembly 26 may be connected to a suitable plumbing (not shown) extending from the connections 28 and 29 of assembly 26 to sources of hot and cold water. The passage of cold water from inlet 28 to faucet 22 is controlled by manually operable valve member 23. Similarly, the passage of hot water through connection 29 to the faucet 22 is controlled by another manually operable valve member (not shown), similar to member 23 and which is preferably positioned at the other side of the faucet 22 in the usual manner.

Also forming a part of the hydraulic assembly 26 are a pair of valve members 30 and 31 (FIGURE 2) respectively controlled through handles 32 and 33 so as to permit or prevent the passage of water from the hot and cold water sources respectively through into the conduits 8 and 9 leading to the mixing valve 7. The passage of water through to conduits 8 and 9 under the control of valves 30 and 31 is independent of the operation of the valve means including valve 23.

Assembly 21 includes a cabinet member 34 which is best seen in FIGURE 3. By reference to FIGURE 3 together with FIGURES 1 and 2, it can be seen that the member 34 includes a front portion 35 and side portions 36 and 37 intended to substantially enclose the hydraulic apparatus 26 and the electrical control apparatus 27 when member 34 is in position.

An opening 38 is normally provided in the front portion of member 34 and is closed by a suitable decorative panel assembly such as that shown by the numeral 39 in FIGURES 1 and 2. Panel assembly 39 includes appropriate openings to permit the passage through to the front thereof of the faucet 22, the controls therefor including valve 23, and the various control members 40 and 41 which are normally provided extending from assembly 27 so that an operator may manually preselect a particular desired sequence of operations in the washing machine.

Extending forward at the top thereof, the member 34 includes projections 41a and 42. It will be understood that, as shown, projections 41a. and 42 may have secured thereto receptacles 43 and 44 for the ends of a fluorescent lighting fixture intended to be positioned so as to extend across between the two receptacles. As can be best seen in FIGURE 2, the front portions 45 of projections 41a and 42 each have a lower edge 46 which, as Will be more clearly seen herebelow, forms a fastener for a member 47. Member 47 provides the dual function of a cover member which completes the enclosure of the control components within the assembly 21, while at the same time providing the function of a shelf on which soap, bleach and the like may readily be stored if so desired for convenient accessibility.

Member 47 includes a ilat portion 48 intended to act as the shelf component thereof, and a rear ange section 49 extending down at the back of portion 48 at each end thereof. Leaf springs 51 are secured to` ilat portions 53 formed at each top back corner of member 34. Each leaf spring is secured at one end so as to have a free portion which frictionally engages flange portion 49 when mem-ber 47 is in position, thereby to provide readily releasable holding means for member 47. The front of member 47 is formed as a downwardly extending portion 54 terminating in a hook 55. In order to secure the member 47 in position, the hook 55 is secured over end 46 of part 45 at each end of member 34, and the member 47 is then pivoted from the position shown in phantom outline in FIGURE 2 to the position shown in solid outline so that the leaf springs 51 frictionally engage part 49 as described above.

It can thus be seen that the member 47 is very quickly removable in case of need for access to the interior 56 of assembly 21 simply by lifting the back up so that springs 51 release part 49, move out of openings and then continuing to pivot the member until hooks 55 move away from edges 46. With particular respect to the control elements 32 and 33 for valves 30 and 31 respectively, these are adjacent the underside of member 47 when it is in position so that upon removal of the member 47 they are immediately accessible. This is highly important since conduits 8 and 9 are, conventionally, exible hoses and it may sometimes be desirable to obtain access to the valve members with some degree of speed. This must be effected while, nonetheless, considering the desirability of having the members concealed, particularly where the machine is a built-in one.

It can be seen from the novel interrelationship of the different components that the readily removable part 47 forms a top closure for the assembly 21 as a whole, a front decorative closure for the space 57 within which the light is intended to be provided so as to shine down through opening 5S, and a readily removable access member for the handles of the valves positioned within space 56. Also, since the electrical connection to the wiring system of the building is within space 56 under member 47, it is also made readily accessible by removal of member 47.

Completing the description of the structure shown in the drawing, the drain arrangement 6 includes a forwardly extending portion 59 which terminates in an open end directly over a trough 6b formed at the base of member 34. Trough 60 is provided With a series of small openings 61 so that any stoppage in the drain system causes the backup ow to occur through the conduit portion 59 and then down into trough 60 and through openings 61 thereof into the sink 15. As previously mentioned, the drain structure forms the sole invention of Winston L.

Shelton, being fully described and illustrated in his aforesaid application Serial No. 119,451.

It will be understood that while in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing therefrom, and it is therefore aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A washing machine adapted to be positioned with its back substantially flush against a Wall comprising: washing means; liquid supply means for said washing means; control means connected in cooperative relation to said washing means and said liquid supply means to control the sequence of operation thereof; cabinet means including a iirst section enclosing said Washing means and said liquid supply means and a second section positioned above said first section `and enclosing said control means, said second section having front and side closure portions and a substantially at shelf-like cover member forming its top surface, said cover member being removably secured over said front and side portions; said control means including manual control members extending out through said front portion of said second section; at least one valve positioned Within said second section and connected to said liquid supply means upstream thereof so as to control the flow of liquid thereto, each said valve including a manually operable control member having a handle section positioned adjacent said cover member therebeneath.

2. A washing machine adapted to be positioned with its back substantially ush -against a Wall comprising: washing means; liquid supply means for said Washing means; control means connected in cooperative relation to the said washing means and said liquid supply means to control the sequence of operation thereof; at least one valve member; exible conduit means connecting said valve member to said liquid supply means upstream thereof so as to control iiow of liquid thereto, each said valve member including a manually operable control member; a first cabinet assembly enclosing said Washing means and said liquid supply means; a second cabinet assembly positioned above said first cabinet assembly and enclosing said control means and said valve member, said second section having front and side closure portions and a substantially flat shelf-like cover member forming its top surface, said cover member being removably secured over said front and side portions, said manually operable valve control member of each said valve member being positioned adjacent said cover member therebeneath; said control means including manual control members extending out through said front portion of said second cabinet assembly.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said second cabinet assembly includes at least one leaf spring means for yieldingly retaining said cover member in assembled position.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said first section of said cabinet means includes a sink formed in the top thereof, a faucet assembly is provided extending over said sink fro-m said second section of said cabinet means, and conduit means are connected to said valve on its upstream side, said faucet being connected to said conduit means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,982,117 Murie Nov. 27, 1934 1,998,672 Hammond Apr. 23, 1935 2,832,080 Hertenstein et al Apr. 29, 1958 2,952,271 Dick et al Sept. 13, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,196,794 France May 25, 1959 

